Chapter 2009 – Eastern Ying Girl
“Who is that?” Weis had always lived in the lower levels of the palace and had never seen people with black hair, fair skin, and gentle expressions.
However, Lorna, someone with extensive experience, had heard of them. She looked at the girl named Mari and said, “An Eastern Ying person?”
“That’s right. This is a bodyguard accompanying an Eastern Ying overseas student. I bet with that Eastern Ying student last time and won his childhood sweetheart. As a result, that young master could only cry there and insisted on redeeming her. Now, he’s nowhere to be seen,” Gaspar laughed heartily, boasting about the outcome of his previous duel.
Actually, I heard from Mr. Zhang that the Eastern Ying delegation sent out was much larger than the Great Qing’s. They also sold their labor, encouraging people to immigrate or work abroad, showing a very clear Westernization trend.
Therefore, there are many Eastern Ying people in Europe now, including many with unique Eastern Ying professions. For example, Samurai, Ninjas, and Onmyoji, who are extraordinary individuals, work for Europeans or join mercenary groups and adventure groups to make a living.
But for a young girl like the one in front of me, to directly become a merchant’s slave because the original owner lost a bet, this is truly a strange experience, and it should not be common.
“Yes, my lord.” The Eastern Ying girl named Mari bowed. Her appearance was delicate but stern, possessing a unique temperament. However, her tone was calm, exuding a sense of drifting with the tide after losing all hope.
“Then, please follow us,” Calo stood up. The other merchants also made a gesture of invitation, inviting Jayad to the dueling venue.
Many merchants and staff along the way smiled and bowed to them, greeting them and clearing the way. It seemed that Calo and his group were quite wealthy and held a high status in the merchant association.
While walking through the merchant association, Fuldamantha quietly approached Jayad and whispered, “Why did you agree to Gaspar’s gamble? His slaves are very strong, and he loves to use duels to trick newcomers.”
“Given the situation, I couldn’t refuse, could I? He was determined to win, and I couldn’t spoil the fun for the other gentlemen.” Jayad pretended to be helpless, acting like a novice who dared not provoke the大佬.
“You! Alas! You could have taken a step back and spent some money to appease them, but now it’s too late,” Fuldamantha said.
Although we didn’t say it out loud, we all looked down on Fuldamantha. The situation clearly indicated that Gaspar wouldn’t give up. He wouldn’t stop plotting until he got Weis.
And if Jayad dared to compromise with him, he would be looked down upon by the other merchants, and his status would naturally be inferior. Moreover, they were no longer people who could be swayed by mere money.
Either we go all the way and accept whatever he proposes, or we part ways and leave.
Fuldamantha’s mindset was like this, which was why he couldn’t truly gain the respect of those wealthy merchants. Whether or not one has money is one aspect, but having the demeanor to earn money is also very important. Fuldamantha lacked this foresight and mindset.
However, he was genuinely concerned about Jayad. Usually, after an introducer connects people, their responsibility ends. But he still came to remind Jayad, which shows he is still a conscientious person.
Seeing that Jayad wasn’t listening to his advice, Fuldamantha could only shake his head and walk away. He didn’t dare to say too much to Jayad for fear of Gaspar hearing and ostracizing him.
Soon, they arrived at an indoor arena. Unexpectedly, the merchant association even had such a place. A merchant told Jayad that this was where they often resolved their duels. Conflicts were resolved either in casinos or dueling grounds.
Besides being a venue for duels, it was also a beast-fighting arena. The entire arena was surrounded by a circle of beast cages and enclosed by a magic barrier, allowing monsters to be fought freely. The merchants sat in safe audience seats to watch.
Because duels did not necessarily involve people fighting, fighting with their own monsters was also a common practice among merchants. They could even gamble without any conflict. To wealthy merchants, it was nothing more than a large-scale cricket fight.
There were also fights between people and monsters. Bailing Ding had fought many monsters in the underground black market of Cando City. Seeing this familiar scene again, she couldn’t help but feel emotional. However, she was not the protagonist today; Lorna took on the task.
Many merchants on the road had heard that Gaspar was going to duel with a newcomer, and many merchants followed to watch. Word spread from one to ten, and the crowd grew larger and larger.
I could hear merchants discussing from afar: “Have you heard? That Gaspar fellow is trying to scam another newcomer. This time, another newcomer has been forced into a duel by him.”
“Tsk tsk tsk, him again. He always bullies newcomers and forces them into duels. Who doesn’t know that this guy is a slave owner with countless strong individuals under him? Otherwise, how could he capture so many slaves?”
“But no one dares to refuse him. He’s good at judging people. He tries to win over all the genuinely big merchants and only targets small merchants who have no power or influence. If they refuse, he’ll severely ostracize and suppress them.”
“Let’s not worry about him. We’ll just watch the fun. Don’t meddle in other people’s business. At least his slaves fight quite spectacularly. We have a good show today.”
After listening to these merchants’ words, I broadly understood Gaspar’s character. He is a slave owner who captures otherworldly beings to sell. He has many powerful slaves and likes to force newcomers into duels to scam them. If they refuse, he will ostracize them; he is a scumbag.
The spectators in the audience seats included merchants and their subordinates. After all, merchants don’t do everything themselves; they often have many subordinates helping them with tasks, such as accountants, salespeople, and so on.
These people are spectators. Although they have many criticisms about Gaspar’s character, no one dares to provoke him. They all come here just to watch the spectacle.
“If you are ready, please enter the arena. You should stand on that high platform over there, and your participating选手 will enter through that entrance. Someone will naturally guide them out,” Gaspar said, full of confidence, as if victory was already in his grasp.
“Understood. Then, Lorna, Weis, Madam Margaret, you go over,” Jayad said.
“Huh? Huh! Am I also going to participate in the duel?” Margaret seemed to just react now.
“Of course, you are Older Brother’s slave too, at least in your current identity.” I covered my head. Has she not realized it yet?
“But, but, I’m not good at fighting?” Margaret immediately remembered her identity and her lackluster Combat Power.
“But, think about it, that person wants to snatch your daughter and even brand her,” I said.
“Roar! I will definitely defeat him!” Margaret’s fighting spirit as a mother was instantly ignited.
